Friday, August 31, 2007

Starting this year the ArtLetter has been moved to this blog. In this way we can keep making continuous announcements of alumni news and interesting art happenings and help keep in touch all year round.

We have been collecting the alumni news to publish, and will do so in this space in September 2007.
After that, we will make periodic, regular updates here, so do keep sending us your news, announcements, etc.

Why are we not printing the ArtLetter anymore?In the past we have had financial assistance from CAA to help pay for postage, and the generous donation of printing to help offset the cost of publication. As of this year our printer is no longer available, and due to funding cuts CAA has withdrawn postage support to clubs. In the last two years, over 80% of all of our funds were spent on the ArtLetter. We do not collect enough in dues or donations to continue to pay for this increasingly expensive publication.
Publishing on the internet is affordable, fast, and reaches a wider audience, especially among our younger alumni who are so difficult to reach by mail.

Benefits of web publishing for Art Alumni Members.The calartalumni.org website receives a fair amount of traffic already, and has a very high pagerank with search engines. This is due in part to the concentrated number of artists names appearing on the site in connection with each other. For those of you trying to get some name recognition or visibility, being mentioned on this site is of enormous value. This is just one of the ways we can use the strength of our community to help get positive attention for the department, and each other.

The U.C. Berkeley Art Alumni Group was formed to help promote the improvement and esteem of UC Berkeley's Art Practice Department, and the art community surrounding it. Alumni members benefit from educational and professional opportunities, social activities, and continued community support.